Brew Jüs opens inside Ferndale market

Published
12:00 am EDT, Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Brew Jüs Petite Eatery, the latest innovation of beer and food pairings, is hosting a grand opening event from 6 to 9 p.m. today at The Rust Belt Market, 22801 Woodward Ave. in Ferndale. The event, which features their signature sliders, is open to the public and will coincide with another notable food event -- the monthly Ferndale Food Truck Rally. There will be seven food trucks outside the market bringing a variety of food from which to choose. "It will be a cornucopia of foods to try," said Nick Schultz of Brew Jüs. "Food evolves like any institution, the food trucks are like a big new craze, great food can come to wherever you are." Schultz said. In addition, Blue Pontiac, an alternative band, is scheduled to perform inside the market at 8 p.m.

The opening of Brew Jüs (pronounced like au jus) marks the first licensed commercial kitchen at the Rust Belt Market, the unique brick-and-mortar venue for the local artistic community. Specializing in artisan sliders paired with handcrafted beer-based sauces and ice cream, Brew Jüs will offer gourmet on-site meals while customers shop Saturdays and Sundays.

"We've been looking for a savory food vendor to cook food on site," said Chris Best, owner of the Rust Belt Market. "Brew Jüs is the right fit to offer shoppers a unique food experience while visiting the market."

"It's kind of an honor to be selected because they (Rust Belt Market) are so choosy, says Schultz. Brew Jüs was founded by Schultz, a chef (aka local blogger, The Sauced Chef) and brew master David Ballew. The two were able to tap into their passions of making food and hand-crafted beer.

Laid off from a corporate job, Schultz went back to school to become a chef and found his passion in making sauces. Also out of work and refusing to drink Bud Light, Ballew was unable to afford the craft beer he enjoyed and turned to handcrafting his own beer.

The pair met in 2009 and forged their newfound talents. They first experimented with a beer and food pairing event at Oakland Community College in April 2010 and translated the success into the Brew Jüs brand.

"Beer-based food and beer-based desserts are very new and very trendy," said Schultz.

"We are constantly redefining the relationship between food and beer," he added. "We are the only people in Michigan dedicating entire product lines to pay homage to the flavor of hand-crafted beer. The beauty is that each product is strong enough to be great on its own, but when the products are put together and you get the entire Brew Jus experience -- that's something special."

Brew Jüs serves four distinct artisan sliders, beef, chicken, turkey, and a vegan option, with beer-based sauces. The unique sauces and signature beer-infused ice cream will be available for take-home sale.